APPLICATION OF ABLATION MATERIALSFOR HEAT PROTECTION OF CABINS OF FIRE-FIGHTING MACHINES

Abstract

Forest fires are accompanied by the release of a huge amount of heat, and the temperature at the edge of a forest fire, where firefighting equipment usually operates, reaches 300-700 °C. Fire engines are exposed to intense heat to extinguish forest fires. The main requirement for the design of such machines is the availability of rational thermal protection. Studies of various methods of thermal protection of cabins have showed the possibility of lowering the temperature on the inner surface of the cabin, but these methods show low efficiency. Protection of cabs from thermal radiation is not provided in the new developments of forest fire machines. It is proposed to use pre-preg coatings to protect cabins of forest fire engines. They are successfully used in spacecraft designs. Recent technologies for the production of such materials, developed recently, have significantly reduced the cost of production of these materials. It expands the possibilities of their application for other equipment subjected to intense heat exposure. The calculations have showed that the heat-protective coatings of the cabins made of pre-pregs quickly warm up to acceptable temperatures. However the use of water reserves in the tank of the car to cool the inside of the cabs provides high protection efficiency even at the limiting values of heat fluxes that occur in the fireplace. At the same time, water is not consumed; it is heated, circulating between the tank and the heat exchanger. The proposed method of protecting cabs of fire machines from thermal radiation is original one. It is a subject of further development.